February 8th

It is pouring rain and we are having our 5th blackout this week as I write this but the long awaited update is here at last! I feel there is so much to catch you up on, I will put the news into categories: DTS, Campus Happenings, Me and Recent Adventures. Thanks for coming along – enjoy!

Discipleship Training School

The DTS Students (from left): Dougie, Vanessa, Paul & Melissa with their kids, Hannah, Amar.

We will soon reach our 1 month mark in the DTS. Students are engaging with the teaching. I've seen students excited, humbled and even pierced by what they are taking in, with comments like, “I've been through stuff like this before, but never so in depth...” and another who said, “dis week lesson really touch me heart...” then he went on to tell me about the sadness and injustices of his childhood. I see God redeeming this young man's hardships as He heals his heart. I look forward to the next few weeks which will be taught by local pastors and ministry leaders whom I feel privileged to partner with. Guyana has some great men and women of God.

Campus Happenings

We've had the privilege of being liasons for Samaritan's Purse and other ministries who are sending goods to interior villages, so our bond (tool shed) has been packed with barrels and boxes. We were also blessed with a generator, supplies for our literacy club and clothes to hand out in the community!

Since the bond has been occupied, we've been holding our literacy club classes on the building construction site, not ideal, but at least its breezy since we don't have walls! I've had fun teaching the kids in my class with games and I'm filled with joy when I see 30+ kids playing in our yard. It's great to be able to call them by name and encourage them.

The hospital ministry to Georgetown continues, though I haven't been able to participate this season since we had to switch the dates which now clash with literacy club. The students and volunteers who go always have positive reports and the children were so happy to receive the monkey dolls (thanks Sharon!). It must've really brightened their gloomy surroundings!
More of our land is being put to good use as we've been able to bless a pastor from Georgetown with a plot to grow fruits and nuts for his family business -the best nutbutter and jam in the nation!

The Staff (from left): Beeno, Kim, Karen, Winston & Vidya + kids, Em, Hannah(student) & Steve.

Me
It's been harder for me to keep up with relationships in the community since most of my time and energy is taken up with the DTS but I check in with people as much as I can and I still play nurse with our blood pressure cuff and and give random medical advice around the neighbourhood. I recently found one of our students having a severe asthma attack in her room, which was quite a scare, but thankfully we got her to the pharmacy at Parika junction before it closed where they gave her oxygen and medicine.

Many times I feel like God has given me such a beautiful gift by bringing me to Guyana and the other staff feel more like friends and family than just co-workers. I try to remember that on the challenging days when there seems to be no end to my lack of privacy and personal space. The extrovert in me loves being around people and longs for more social options while the introvert in me longs for space that looks, feels, and sounds like my own. This week has been particularly challenging in that arena, but of course the latter isn't worth much if I'm alone – so in the end, I'm glad I have people to share space with.

I was praying through Ephesians 3:14-20 for some of my family this morning and I was struck by verse 18 - “may (you) have strength to comprehend...the love of Christ...” Sometimes when I feel alone and frustrated by my emotions (this usally just happens when I'm over-tired) -suspended between homes, loved ones and places of belonging – I need strength to hold on to truth and understand anew Christ's love. It is bluer than the sky, taller than the palms and clearer than the wind.

Recent Adventures

Stranded along the east bank of the Essequibo, sitting on some raised roots to avoid the muddy sand, may hands are still termbling from the slight scare we had on the river a couple mintues ago. The water was shallow but the Essequibo is mighty (contains an island the size of Barbados!)...

Teary -eyed “Annie” was sitting on our fence (she comes around often as home is not a very nice place for her), then standing at our gate as 4 of us trodded out on our way to a new adventure. - The previous Saturday we'd taken the canoe up calm waters and reveled in the beauty of God's creation – elegant flowers, peculiar fruits, orange monkeys and endless varieties of trees – I was so delighted to be on the water, enjoiying the splendour. - This time was way different.

Between mouthfulls of banana bread I had packed for our lunch, Annie managed to whisper, “Me waan come wit you,” giant tears rolling down her cheeks. A quick call to her grandma down the road and we were on our way to join the others, having fitted the tiny (now beaming) 9-year-old with our smallest life jacket.

The tide was forcing its way back in rather grumpily as we pushed off shore behind Aunt Troy's house. Passing speedboats carrying passengers to Bartica added to the white water which was soon splashing regularly into our canoe. Dougie and Amar got out in shallow water to push us upstream and soon got back in. The waves kept arguing with us, however, and when Amar jumped out again, Dougie slid, tilting us far enough that we were quickly wet all the way up to the seats with more water sloshing in as the guys pushed us toward the nearest “beach.” I thought we were going to flip over while still a ways out and Annie would be traumatized!
We managed to make it to shore where the guys flipped the canoe to empty it....

While we wait out the waves, Dougie and Amar are entertaining us by acting like tribal warriors with large “fighting” sticks and Annie is standing by, grinning and clutching the old, weathered kite Amar just discovered in the bushes. I've decided to join in the fun....

Vanessa and I climbed some large fallen-tree roots and vigorously defended our “castle” from the invaders (the guys). We decided to get on the water again a while later but after a few close calls Vanessa became terrified (she can't swim) and I was worried she'd have another asthma attack right there on the rising river. It was difficult to manoever the canoe through the uncooperative water but we pulled up at a sawmill where us girls climbed out onto the rocks while the boat got pushed around. Dougie and Amar returned the way we came while us girls walked out to the road and made our way back home.

I thought Annie was freaked out because she wasn't saying a word (she gets all silent before she cries). She finally said in that adorable tiny voice of hers, “Me waan go in de boat.” What a fearless 9-year-old! She did, afterall, come in 2nd at a national running competition, getting up to cross the finish line after she'd fallen, well ahead of the others. I'm so glad I got to spend time with her.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers everyone, I really appreciate you!

PS. You may remember that before Christmas, we were trying to help a baby boy and his mom get to the US for heart surgery. When I got back after the holidays and called them, I learned that the hole in his heart is healing!